Looking for Cowboy Kate & Other Stories

Day 49, Act II

Sundays. My second surf-lesson (longboard) in Muizenberg at Roxy's Surfschool. I'm in love.

Catching waves is like flying without wings, or on top of it. Moving faster than nature's waves is playing a game of power. 'It' vs. me. With horse-power, in velocity, it grapes me, it gets me. Up-side down I go. Losing sense of gravity, salt in nose, eyes something hits my skull and I'm hardly breathing air. Pissed-off, bruised on bones, bloody nose and with a fools ambition I go back, jump in the saddle and challenge it, again and again. Sometimes I do manage, when angry enough, I feel my momentum in front of it, shortly I get it back. Eat that-this, f*ck-you! It! I call out while catching the wave. Finally. It's playing the game. With me. Did I get it, really get it or did it just let me in the end? Surfing. I am in love.

Muizenberg is at the Indian-side of the ocean while Cape Town meets the freezzzing Atlantic side. The temperature can be at least 10 °C difference in a 30 minute drive. Feeling the southern tip of the world at that moment.

Looking back.. On week-endings.
Day 41, Act I

On Saturday at the DESIGN INDABA (design gatherring) I vistited the fantastic show of David West 'What was once old is new?, Autumn / Winter collection 2011. David West is one of South-Africa's most promising fashion designer of this moment. Watch him! http://www.davidwest.co.za/

Looking back.. On week-endings.

Day 40, Act I

My Friday-evening surprise was the dance performance 'Shift' at Theater@theDistrict in Woodstock area. Artist / performer Mamela Nyamza is extremely powerful in her presence, act, as-well as in her dance performance in this dense and intimate room at the theater.
By Mamela Nyamza & co-directed by Hannah Loewenthal.

Day 39, Act I

Spin street, Cape Town

Day 35, Act I

Sundays...

Day 31, Act I

Left-hand drive, cowboy-case jihaaa!

Day 31, Act I

ABOUT ‘LOOKING FOR
COWBOY KATE & OTHER STORIES’

Once upon a time was Kate.
She was white as flowers,
warm as sunshine,
wild as whiskey and
swinging like a lamp…

Is the subtitle in Cowboy Kate & Others Stories a book by Sam Haskins.
A very rare and original copy of this photographic book came out the personal archive of my father, who handed it to me a year ago saying it is an item to investigate while adding it to my ‘baggage’ for South Africa. I loved the title and cover but didn’t give a proper look to the content at that time. Now, one year later and after re-opening my suitcase on the Shosholoza train from Johannesburg to Cape Town it became an ode to Haskins, my father and the Cowboy Kate & Other stories in my head and the beginning of this blog. Kate is turning into an intangible entity of a place, setting were modern day cowboys are all around, in many shapes & forms, bold and bleach and featuring in big or small shadows. —I’m on the lookout for my Kate and other stories here, from the southern tip of the world, in the wild wild Cape.

Sam Haskins (1926—2009) was a photographer best know for his contribution to nude photography, pre-Photoshop in-camera image montage, and his self-conducted books like Cowboy Kate (1965), November Girl (1966) and African Image (1967); the last one being a meticulously constructed book celebrating a love for sub-Saharan Africa. Haskins was born in Kroonstad, the Orange Free State of South Africa and his early creative influences were fueled by an interest in magic tricks, kite making, drawing and the circus. For many years he worked form his modern freelance advertising studio in Johannesburg, what later appeared to be a novelty in Africa.